Welcome to Forres

The Royal Burgh of Forres is located just east of the River Findhorn, a few miles inland from Findhorn Bay and the Moray Firth in the north-east of Scotland, in the county of Morayshire, approximately 563 miles north of London and 12 miles west of Elgin.

The town has a population of around 8,000. Administratively it is within the unitary council region of Moray which covers an area of approximately 2,238 sq kms and which has a population of around 87,000.

It is an attractive and ancient town, which was the site of King Duncan's court in the 11th-century, and it retains some fine old buildings and notable historic sites including the richly decorated Pictish 'Sueno's Stone' which, at over 20ft high, is believed to be the tallest surviving stone of its kind in Scotland. It is a good base from which to explore the beautiful Moray coast and Grampian region.

It is thought that Forres may be the 'Varris' which was shown on maps by Ptolemy nealy 2,000 years ago. Pictish remains can still be seen, the most spectacular being Sueno's Stone, thought to commemorate a battle against Norse invaders. A castle stood here in 900AD, becoming a royal residence during the 12th century, but nothing now remains of it. The town became a Royal Burgh in 1140. On 23 June 1496, the town was granted a Royal Charter by King James IV of Scotland. This set out rights and privileges to be enjoyed by the townspeople of Forres; and by some accounts brought up to date an earlier charter issued by King David I.  

Historically, the town's economy was based upon agriculture and this is still significant. Overall, the service industry is the largest sector of the local economy, employing around 64% of all workers.